Nighttime Resolve
by Vile.EXE
Summary: ENDING SPOILERS. Tethu wakes up with a fright after a nightmare. He visits Esna for security, and he rekindles his faith in his mission.


**Vile: I can't seem to get anything out without waiting a month, can I? Well, to be honest, I think it's largely because I'm creatively exhausted. I have so many long-term ideas in my head that I somehow can't get them out. I'm not sure how long I'll be sticking to this, but for at least a short while, I think I'll be trying to put out one-shots in order to vent some ideas out into the world. I don't exactly know how many people have played Ever Oasis, but if you haven't, there are some spoilers for this game's ending, as mentioned in the description. With that said, enjoy, people.**

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Nighttime Resolve

"GYAAAAAH!" I screamed as I shot up from my sleeping pose, almost unsure if it was even my voice at first. My face was undoubtedly an expression of pure terror as I panted heavily, my forehead soaked with sweat. I looked around as if thinking I'd see something wrong, but I was still in my home, in my hammock, in the dead of night. Slowly, I got out of the hammock and walked to the window, gazing out at the center of his oasis: The water still lightly glimmered from the moonlight, the tide was calm, and the rainbow above was unbroken and unfaltering. Nothing was amiss.

I finally managed to calm down somewhat and placed my hand to my forehead, groaning. That nightmare… it was still vividly playing in my mind, and I could feel my heart start to pound again. I was fighting the source of Chaos, this powerful dragon creature, which had Esna and the White Lumite under its grasp. I was winning, and I was close to saving Esna… and before I knew it, she was gone. Turned into rain to save the desert at the cost of her own life, and any hope of her own race's survival.

Merely thinking about that dream made me groan again before I immediately ran out of my house. That dream seemed too real, and it made me worried about her. Esna… we've been through so much together: She found me when everything seemed lost, and together we built a bastion of hope for all in the desert, fending off Chaos wherever it reared its ugly presence. When I became de facto mayor of the oasis, I didn't think it would grow so much, but it became the utopia it is now. I knew that this place was my responsibility, so I made a vow to myself: I won't let anyone be a victim of the Chaos… especially NOT Esna.

I wandered into the inner sanctum of the oasis, being surrounded by the water that Esna generously gave us. She wasn't there. I gulped and started looking around, praying to whatever deity existed above that my dream was still just a dream, when I heard her voice. "Tethu?" Her soft voice snapped me out of my panic, and I turned to see her forming in front of me. Her big blue eyes stared into mine, and I could tell that she could see my fear. "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

Hearing her concern-filled words began to put my soul at ease, and I let out a sigh. "Y… Yeah… I'm OK. I just wanted to… make sure you were OK." I said meekly. The glimmer in Esna's eyes made it clear that she didn't fully believe me, but rather than press it, she gave me a warm smile and nodded. She was beautiful when she had that smile, and I would be lying if I said I never wished we could be more than the best friends we are now. I never asked because I'm not sure how water spirits work, but even if we couldn't be a couple, I was happy just to have her in my life. "…Esna?"

"Yes?"

"Is… Is the White Lumite safe?"

Her head tilted in confusion. "The Lumite? Why do you ask?"

"I… just want to be sure." I told her. "I know I'll be fighting Chaos soon, so I want to make sure that we'll have it for then."

Esna nodded at me, and she waved her arms around. Bubbles appeared near her, filling with the water surrounding her, before bursting to reveal the Lumite, safe and sound. "I've got it right here. Don't you worry about a thing, Tethu." She winked at me before kneeling (well, the equivalent of it since she had a tail) to my level. "I know you're worried, Tethu, but we've gotten through it all before, right?" She held a hand toward me. "We can do this."

I merely stared at her hand for a moment, then back to her face. Her eyes showed that she was also worried about me, but she kept her smile as a way to try and make me think it was all right. Even in the face of my own worry, she was still this angel that looked out for everyone. I allowed myself to finally smile as I placed my hand in hers, gripping tightly. She must've noticed, as she giggled slightly. I turned to leave as the Lumite vanished back into the water, but as I did, I stopped. "…You'll be all right."

I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was confused. "Tethu?"

Without turning back around, my hand clenched. "I will protect you… from anything that will hurt you. If anything tries to hurt you…" My sentence turned into a mere breath as my hand suddenly gripped the handle of my sword. I heard Esna's gasp, as if expecting me to suddenly attack something, but I had no intention to strike anything… yet. My fingers uncurled from the hilt as I sighed. "Sleep well, Esna. The big fight is ahead." With that, I walked out of the inner sanctum without looking back, and if I had, I probably would have seen the look of confusion and worry on her face.

Chaos… You have ruined so many lives, and you continue to threaten us all just by existing. You've destroyed countless civilizations, including my brother's oasis, yet you still hunger for more. And I know you can hunger. I felt the rage. The rage as you tried your hardest to breach my oasis's gates and ravage it, to use my people as vessels to further your corruption until nothing remains. But I promise you this: My oasis will not submit. We overcame all the odds to survive in this world. The Seedlings, the Drauk, the Serkah, the Lagora… and Esna. If you dare try to hurt my oasis, I will show you that our drive to live on is stronger than your desire to kill us.

For my oasis, my people, and my dear Esna… I will destroy you, Chaos.

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 **EDIT: A reviewer noticed a flaw in the story where I referred to the Lumites as plural. The story has been fixed. Shout-out to Moon, a guest, for noticing.**

 **Vile: Like I said, I enjoy Ever Oasis. It's a fun game to play and has a ton of charm. That said, I will say this: FUCK. THIS. GAME'S. ENDING. I wrote the canon ending in the form of a dream to prevent a straight retcon (since not even I'm sure how to do that), but I personally find Ever Oasis's ending to be an insult to the game itself. The game is about creating the last bastion of civilization in a slowly-corrupted desert, overcoming odds to survive even when you should be dead, and the way the game ends is with Esna not only dying, but doing it to HERSELF! This kind of ending irks me to no end: Some stories have bittersweet endings when they really have no reason to have them. They could've found SOME way to cure the Black Dragon without resorting to this. *deep breath* Okay, sorry, I was ranting. The ending does suck in my opinion (hence this fic), but I still do love the game. If anyone reading this hasn't played Ever Oasis and enjoys resource-management gameplay, I highly recommend it. If you guys liked this fic, leave a review for me. Ja ne for now!**

 **Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.**


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